Bear brings you there

Thewherebear.com is a clear and concise website based in Burlington that informs students and community members about local restaurants, bars, clubs and events. 

In the fall of 2011 the idea flourished when self-employed graphic designer Catherine Lange, new to the area, wanted to know what was happening downtown. The website became a new project and a helpful tool in discovering Burlington.

Its staff consists of its creator, Lange, Louis Antonelli, back-end programmer for the website and Ellie Beckett, social media and outreach intern. 

According to Lange, the goal of the website is to be user-friendly. Its goal is not to try to be like the other websites that show exclusive deals and sales. Instead, it informs community members about what venues downtown are already doing. 

“Restaurants and bars have always done specials as ways to increase traffic during slower times,” Lange said. “With the rise of the ‘daily deals’ sites, we realized [customers] were often being ripped off.”

She feels very optimistic about the original website and her team’s plans for it.

“WhereBear is a way for these venues to advertise what they’re already doing, and we provide a channel to get the word out,” Lange said.

Vermont is not the last stop either; the team has plans to expand this website to college towns around the country.

“Burlington is our testing ground — we’re loyal to Vermont and this city because it’s where we’re starting,” she said. “We’d love to take it to similar college towns, and plan to start the outreach to other cities this fall.” 

Beckett said that she is excited about this project and what it can do for the UVM community.

“WhereBear is a really useful tool for college students who want to go out into Burlington without spending a lot of money,” she said.

The website is continually growing and has 32 downtown venues listed on the site, and has expanded to Winooski, Shelburne and Williston. 

“When you go to the website, you’ll see different colored bars — blue for event, purple for drink and orange for food,” Beckett said. “When you hover over the bar, the special and the times that are active pop up.”

Junior Jessica Schwartz said she liked the site’s simplicity.

“The site looks really accessible and easy to use,” Schwartz said.

For more information on WhereBear, visit their website www.thewherebear.com.